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Learn About Criminal Justice Reform in Illinois
Background Research and FAQ
The League of Women Voters, at the national and state level, advocates for an impartial and unbiased criminal justice system that protects and promotes the dignity of all. We promote evidence-based actions to build trust and transparency and promote alternatives to custodial arrest when possible.
LWVIL positions include support for the elimination of cash bond in pretrial procedures. This reform is part of the criminal justice legislation adopted into law in January of 2021 in the state of Illinois. Subsequent trailer bills passed in December of 2022 provided further clarifications to the law.
The portion of the Safety, Accountability and Fairness Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T Act, that eliminates cash bail (the Pretrial Fairness Act, or PFA) was scheduled to go into effect at the start of January of 2023 but was put on hold following a ruling of a Kankakee County circuit judge. In July 2023, the case was heard by the Illinois Supreme Court. In a landmark ruling, the court upheld the law, making Illinois the first state in the nation to completely eliminate money bail. The law goes into effect on September 18th.
You can read more about the pretrial reforms and SAFE-T Act in the LWVPR informational resource linked below & find updates at the Illinois Answers Project.